Last updated: 12 November 2026
How much does an electrician cost? With us, it depends on the job, not the clock. We don’t publish an hourly rate. The $165 service call covers one electrician for the first 30 minutes, and we agree the price of anything beyond that before we start. A price over the phone is free; a written quote follows a $50 site assessment.
Every Helcro Electrical price on this page is our own, including GST, for homes in Melbourne’s South East. Helcro Electrical is based in Cheltenham and has been in business since 2006. For a phone price, call 1300 201 358 or Get a Quote; we respond within 2 business hours.
Key takeaways
- Our call-out fee is the $165 service call including GST: one electrician, the first 30 minutes.
- A phone price is free; the $50 site assessment for a written quote is not taken off the job.
- We price the job, not the hour: a home switchboard upgrade is typically $1,250 to $2,500.
- Before you say yes, check what any quote includes: call-out fees, weekend rates, parts, labour and travel.
On this page
- Electrician call-out fee: what our $165 service call covers
- Phone price, $50 site assessment or service call?
- Why we quote the job, not an hourly rate
- What common jobs cost with us in Melbourne’s South East
- What changes the price of an electrical job
- Quote or estimate? What to check before you say yes
- Is the Certificate of Electrical Safety included?
- Renting? Who arranges the electrical safety check
- Questions to ask any electrician before you book
- Electrician cost questions
- How we checked this page
- Get a Quote
Electrician call-out fee: what our $165 service call covers
Our call-out fee is the $165 service call. It pays for the visit and the first 30 minutes of work, not a rate per minute. Other electricians may call theirs a service fee, an attendance fee or a minimum charge.
What the $165 includes:
- one licensed electrician at your home
- the first 30 minutes of work on site
- GST
- a price for anything beyond that, agreed with you before we start
If it is fixed in that time, that is the total. If it needs more work, we tell you before anything further starts.
Have a few small jobs? List them all when you call, and we’ll price them over the phone.
Phone price, $50 site assessment or service call?
Which one you need depends on what you’re asking for:
- A price over the phone is free. Describe the job when you call.
- A written quote follows a $50 site assessment. We look at the job first, then put the price in writing.
- The $165 service call is for when something needs checking or isn’t working.
Whichever you get, Consumer Affairs Victoria says to “make sure you understand what the quote covers, whether it is written or verbal”.
Why we quote the job, not an hourly rate
An hourly number doesn’t tell you the bill: it leaves out how long the job takes, the parts, travel and the call-out fee. A price for the whole job does. Asking for a day rate for a list of work? Ask for a price for the whole list.
We couldn’t find an independent, public survey of what electricians charge in Melbourne; the averages online come from directories and electricians’ own websites, and they don’t agree. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says its price index for maintenance and repair of the dwelling in Melbourne (materials, plus the services of tradespeople such as electricians) rose 4.3% in the 12 months to September 2026.
Wages aren’t the charge-out rate either. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay guide puts the award minimum for a licensed electrician (Electrical worker grade 5, including allowances) at $32.19 an hour from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. That’s the wage; a business’s price also covers the van, tools, travel, insurance and licences.
What common jobs cost with us in Melbourne’s South East
These are Helcro Electrical’s own prices, all including GST. Anything bigger is quoted in writing after the site assessment.
| Job | Our price, including GST |
|---|---|
| Service call (one electrician, first 30 minutes) | $165 |
| Site assessment for a written quote | $50 |
| Home switchboard upgrade | typically $1,250 to $2,500 |
| Zappi EV charger, supplied and installed | $2,200 to $2,500 single-phase; $2,500 to $3,000 three-phase |
| Tesla Wall Connector, supplied and installed | about $2,400 |
| Split system, standard back-to-back installation | from $1,618 (Haier 2.5 kW) |
| Home solar, 6.6 kW, installed | about $6,000 after the federal STC discount |
| Home solar, 10 kW, installed | about $12,000 after the federal STC discount |
| Rental electrical safety check | $300 |
| Air conditioner regas (existing system) | normally the $165 service call plus the refrigerant used, at $250 per kg |
We don’t list a price for small jobs like a new power point or changing a light fitting: call for a free phone price.
Government programs change the price of some jobs, not the electrician’s rate. The solar prices above are after the federal Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) discount, and Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) discounts apply to some air conditioning and hot water jobs. The split system price has no rebate taken off.
Want a price for your job? Call 1300 201 358 or Get a Quote. We respond within 2 business hours.
What changes the price of an electrical job
The same job can cost different amounts in two homes. What usually moves it:
- Access: an easy roof space, or a ceiling with no way through
- Old wiring that needs work before new work can go in
- The switchboard: whether it has room for what you’re adding
- Single-phase or three-phase: our Zappi prices show the difference
- The parts you choose, and anything else we find (we tell you before we start)
“The part is $20 online.” The part is only one line of the bill. The rest pays for the visit, the work, the testing, the certificate and the workmanship warranty. Ours is 12 months on general electrical work, and it carries over to a new owner.
Comparing two quotes? Check they cover the same work: a switchboard quote may or may not include the consumer mains or the meter box. Our switchboard range is for upgrading the board; new consumer mains or meter box work goes in the written quote. Told you need a full rewire? Ask what was found and to be shown it, then get a second written quote.
Quote or estimate? What to check before you say yes
Whether a price is called a quote or an estimate, what matters is that you know what it covers. For work costing $10,000 or less, Consumer Affairs Victoria’s Getting quotes page says to “confirm whether the quote includes”:
- transport to and from the job
- time and transport to obtain parts during the job
- costs of parts
- labour and apprentice costs, and how these are calculated
- ‘call-out’ fees and any weekend or public holiday rates
It also says to ask how the tradesperson will handle “any changes to the quote or the timeframe that arise during the job”. Then ask: is that including GST? All our prices are. For advertised prices, the ACCC says: “Businesses must display a total price that includes taxes, duties and all unavoidable or pre-selected extra fees.” A “$0 call-out” ad still leaves the job price open.
Once you agree a price, Consumer Affairs Victoria’s checklist for small home jobs says: “Put any agreed changes in writing”. It adds “Never pay the full amount up-front.”
Is the Certificate of Electrical Safety included?
Consumer Affairs Victoria says “whenever a licensed electrician completes any electrical installation work, they must give you a Certificate of Electrical Safety”. Energy Safe Victoria calls the certificate (COES) “a legal document”.
The electrician buys the form from Energy Safe Victoria: for 2026–27, $9.00 for non-prescribed work and $39.70 for prescribed work (electronic). Energy Safe Victoria says the contractor “can seek payment from their customers for the purchase amount of COES”, but “cannot refuse to issue a COES for any reason including payment issues or contract disputes”.
Prescribed work includes the consumer mains, main switchboard, meter box and main earthing system, plus solar and batteries. “An inspection will be undertaken by an independent Licensed Electrical Inspector. Your REC or electrician will organise this.” When you compare quotes for prescribed work, check what each says about the inspection and the certificate.
Renting? Who arranges the electrical safety check
Consumer Affairs Victoria says: “Rental providers must have all electrical installations, fixtures and fittings checked by a licensed or registered electrician every 2 years.” From 13 October 2026 this applies to all rental properties. The rental provider (landlord) must arrange the check.
Our rental electrical safety check is $300 including GST, with a certificate of electrical compliance if everything is okay. If anything extra is needed, we tell you before we start, and the $300 for the check stays the same. The check report is not a COES, but Energy Safe Victoria says a COES “must be issued if any electrical repair or maintenance work is carried out.”
Questions to ask any electrician before you book
- Are you a registered electrical contractor (REC)? Energy Safe Victoria says “you must engage a registered electrical contractor (REC)”. Ours is REC 35448.
- Can I see your licence? You can check a registered electrical contractor or licensed electrician on Energy Safe Victoria’s public register, and you can ask to see their licence.
- Do you have public liability insurance? Consumer Affairs Victoria’s Getting quotes page suggests you “ask to see a certificate of currency for public liability insurance”.
- Can I supply my own fittings? Ask when you book.
- Will I get a Certificate of Electrical Safety? Energy Safe Victoria says: “Always engage a registered electrical contractor and get a Certificate of Electrical Safety for the work.”
Be wary of a cash price with no invoice: it can leave you with no record of the work if you need to make a warranty claim. Consumer Affairs Victoria’s fake tradies warning (written for all trades) names anyone who “asks for cash up front” or “offers cheap deals using words like ‘for today only'”.
What our customers say
“Professional, responsive, honest, on time. Excellent communications. Reasonable and honest transparent pricing. Highly recommended. Thank you Fedya and team…”
Jeremy M, Aspendale (Oneflare review, July 2021, air conditioning)
“Helcro Electrical did a very professional job moving my compressor unit. The job had a few complications, but Fedya completed the job at the quoted price. Very happy with the result, would highly recommend Helcro Electrical, and intend to use them again.”
Robert J, Seaford (Oneflare review, June 2021, air conditioning)
Electrician cost questions
How much does an electrician charge per hour?
We don’t publish an hourly rate. The $165 service call covers one electrician for the first 30 minutes, and we agree the price of anything beyond that before we start.
Is the $50 site assessment taken off the job?
No. The $50 covers us looking at the job and putting the price in writing; it is not taken off the job. A price over the phone is free.
Do you do after-hours or weekend call-outs?
We are open Monday to Friday 8:00am–6:00pm and Saturday 8:00am–1:00pm. We do not advertise round-the-clock callouts. For an urgent electrical fault, call 1300 201 358 and we will confirm availability directly.
The power’s out. Should I call an electrician tonight?
First check whether it’s only your home. If the street is dark too, it’s an outage: call United Energy on 132 099 for electrical faults and emergencies (CitiPower on 13 12 80 for part of Caulfield North). If it’s only your home, call 1300 201 358 and we will confirm availability directly.
Do I need a licensed electrician to change a light fitting?
Yes. Energy Safe Victoria says “Electrical work isn’t a DIY job, even for small jobs such as changing power points or light switches.” It adds: “There’s no grey area. Always hire a licensed electrician.”
How we checked this page
We checked this page against Consumer Affairs Victoria, Energy Safe Victoria, the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ACCC, United Energy and CitiPower (12 November 2026).
Get a Quote
Tell us the job, or the list of small jobs. Call 1300 201 358 or Get a Quote; we respond within 2 business hours. Helcro Electrical is based in Cheltenham and has been in business since 2006.
